It's not that as much as the fact that many of the great features that fans loved in the first and second games were either removed or watered down. Like you said it was a step down from the last game, but not bad as a game itself. It's just not what we wanted as a game entirely. We aren't hating on the game itself, but the changes that were made to the franchise. The game is fun, it's just that there is room for improvement. Although some mechanics added were useful, it just felt lacking. The final boss is a giant ice crystal, give me some credit...